Ambulance



Oct. 16, 1945. E. L scHoFlELD AMBULANCE l 3 Sheets-.Sheet l Filed Jan. 16, 1942 WWI.

O Ct. I6, 1945. E L, SCHOFlELD 2,387,186

AMBULANCE Filed Jan. 16, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 16, 1945. L, scHoFlELD AMBULANCE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 16, 1942 Patented Oct. 16, 1945 AMBULANCE Earl L. schonere, Freeport, 111., assigim'r to y Henney Motor Company, Freeport, 111 a corporation of Delaware Application January 16, 1942, Serial No. 426,985 y.

22 claims. (c1. 29e-19) This invention relates to ambulances, and, while the one herein shown is particularly suitable for civilian defense use in taking those injured during`air raids, for example, to hospitals and in the evacuation of children and old people from areas under bombardment, the same is adapted for general use as an ambulance in peace and war times.

The principal object of my invention is to provide an ambulance that willaccommodate four patients safely and efficiently along with a squad of four attendants, the ambulance being so designed that all four patients can be`loaded and locked in place without `requiring an attendant vto enter the ambulance, and any one of the four patients can be removed without disturbingany ofthe others or. requiring an attendant to enter .the ambulance. Al noteworthy advantage ofthe ambulance of myinvention is that inexperienced vand average size men and womencan load and -unload patients, whereas the oldv conventional limousine type lambulance required strong men of short and heavy stature. Another advantage of theambulance of `my invention lies'in the fact that it will handle four standard Red Cross or army type stretchers, ofwhich'there are thousands now distributed throughout the country;` no standard limousine type ambulance is capable of doing that; c

A salient feature Vof this ambulance consists in the provision of stretcher carriersV suspended fromthe top of the ambulance on pivoted arms swingable as a pendulum relative to the' top for movement of the carriers from an extended loading and unloading position to a retracted position for transportation, the carriers being'quickly releasably lockable in either position and-being, .furthermore7 movable with the arms upwardly to an out-oftheway position in a 'recess in the top, in vwhich it is also quickly releasably lockable. `The carriers are preferably counterbalanced'so that they will not drop from the top when released, but are movable downwardly easily'and substantially as easily upwardly.-

Still another object consists in the provision of means releasably holding the carriers against sidesway. while the ambulance is in motion, said -means however permitting movement of the carrier freely in a@ longitudinal ldirection so that it does not require any attention when the carrier is to be moved to the rear for loading and unloading or moved forwardly to the folded position.

A still further object consists in the provision of an ambulance ofthe kind mentioned in which two attendant seats are provided in the front of the body behind the two forwardly tipping front seats in the drivers compartment andA in front of the stretcher-space, two other full length seats being provided on opposite sides of the body in the stretcher space foldable to out-of-the-way positions along; the side walls rbut available for use at any time when the ambulance is not carrying stretchersor is carrying only oneV ortwo .stretchers in one `side of the body, each of these long seats being capable of seating six adults or ten children. v

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the course of the fellowing detailed description, in which reference is made to the accompanying drawings, where- Figurev 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through an ambulance made in accordance with my invention and illustratingthe mode of operation of the upper carriers;

Fig. 2 is" a horizontal section on Athe line 2-,2

of'Figl; Y 1 Y v Fig. 3 is a Vertical cross-section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1A but showing only two stretchers being carried in one side of the body, the other half being made available for other passengers;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, longitudinal,r vertical, sectional detail, illustrating the Vlocking means iny the top for Securingthe carriers in folded position;

Fig. 4a is a plan view `of the locking mechanism shown in Fig. fl; Figs. 5 and 6 are enlarged sectional details in planes at right angles to one another, illustrating the counterbalancing spring means for the carriers; f

Fig. 7 is a, sectional detail on an enlarged scale taken on the line l-'I of Fig. 1, showing the carrier latch means'in the rear end of the body,

and

Fig. 8 is a detail on an enlarged scale ofthe anti-sway means kprovided for the carriers inthe front portion of the body.' i y The same referencel numerals are applied to corresponding parts throughout the views.

The floor I0 of the ambulance body is adapted to support two standard Red Cross or army type stretchers side by side, as indicated at I I in Fig. 1. Two other stretchers can be supported on carrier racks I2, hereinafter'-referred to as car'- riers, suspended from the top I3 on pendulum type arms I4 and I5.' These arms are swingable from the dotted line in position to the fullline position shown in Fig..1 to :have the :carriers I2 the ambulance. n swing outwardly and downwardly make all four A latch IS.i s. provided in connection with each carrier in the rear end of the body to cooperate with locking-.-

plates and 2| for quickly,releasablyjlocking1 the carrier in either of the twofposityinsimen tioned. After a stretcher I'I has been loaded on the carrier I2, the latch I9 can be released and the carrier I2 will tend toswing-inwardly by gravity, due to the pendulum type levers I4 and I5. Hence very little effort is required on the part of the attendant in this operation, and when the carrier has been moved forwardly as far as it should go, the latch I9 is entered in the locking plate 2I. It is clear that the stretcher II in this movement of the carrier I2 remains horizontal, which according to medical authorities is most important in the handling of the sick and injured. It will also be-noted that there is no necessity for an attendant entering the ambulance in the loading or unloading of aI `there are thousands of that Ytype of stretchers distributed throughout the country makes vthe adaptability of this ambulance to use of that type of stretcher important in the present emergency,

and the factthat the present ambulance will accommodate four of these stretchers, whereas the standard limousine type of ambulance will usually accommodate only two, is also an important feature whichV makes this ambulance particularly suited for civilian defense use for taking those injured during air raids to hospitals. V- In passing, it should be clear thatthe rear doors 22 are arranged to be closed after the ambulance is loaded.

This ambulance being also intended for use in the evacuation of children and old people from areas under bombardment is designed to have the stretcher space cleared quickly and easily so that the seats 23 extending the full length of the stretcher space along opposite sides of the body can be swung down and made available for use. In Fig. 3 only one-half ofthe s'tretcher'space has been converted to passengerspacaillustrating the flexibility andadaptability of this ambulance.

The four stretchers can be stored in four compartments 24 provided therefor under the floor I0 extending crosswis'e relativeto the body of Doors 25 hinged, as at 26, to

stretcher compartments accessible at a time from either side of the ambulance. The carriers I2, or either of them, can be moved upwardly into recesses 21 provided therefor in the top I3, as indicated in the left hand portion of Fig. 3, the penwalking into and out of the ambulance.

dulum type arms I4 and I5 being foldable upwardly into the recesses 21 with the carriers, and when the carriers are moved to this out-of-theway position, the bottoms thereof are substantially flush with the inside of the top, as should be clear from Figs. 3 and 4. Latches 28 mounted in the top I3 and interconnected, as indicated ,atg29, for Ajoint operationare operable by means .of/a. lever that is oscillatablekithrough a small arcv in a plane parallel to the top I3. The lever has a downwardly bent portion 3I projecting through a slot 32 in the top I3, and is provided with a thumb pierce 33 on the free end thereof y t .just .largeenough for convenient operation of the .15.

ylattfn'es'2li-lout,notlarge enough to interfere with The latches 28 enter holes 34 provided therefor in the opposite ends of the carriers I2, and the latches are beveled, as indicated at 35, to permit camming thereof out of the way by engagement with the carrier frames as the carriers enter the recesses 2l. Spring means, shown at 3D', urges the latches 28 toward the operative position of Fig. 4, and the latches are movable manually to retracted position by means of the lever 39. Rub'- ber bumper blocks 36 mounted in the recesses 2 have'engagement with and are compressed by the frames of the carriers I2 when they are moved home in the recesses 2l, whereby to eliminate danger of rattling.

Coiled torsion springs 31, as` shown in Figs. 5 and 6, are provided in connection with the pivots 38 connecting the arms I5 with the carriers I2 to counterbalance the weight of the carrier assemblies so that when the latches 2B are released the carriers will not drop freely by gravity but can be moved downwardly easily to the operating position.V On the other hand, in the return of the carriers to folded out-of-the-way position the springs 31 facilitate this operation. The springs 31 have their coiled portions surrounding the nuts 39 on the threaded ends of the pivot studs 38, and the small brackets 40 fastened by screws 4I to the armsV I5 serve to retain these coiled portions against displacement. One arm 42 of each spring bears against a suitable abutment on the frame of the carrier I2, and the other arm 43 bears against-a flange on the arm I5. It will be seen, therefore, that the springs 31, which will of course be given a sufficient preload to substantially counterbalance the weightof the carrier assemblyV in folded position, will be loaded further in the unfolding of the carrier and, hence, will have maximum loading when the carrier is extended to the loading and unloading position shown in full lines in Fig. 1. It follows therefore that when the latch I9 is released the carrier will move inwardly very easily, such movement being assisted partly by gravity and partly by the action of the springs. The springs therefore serve more than just the counterbalancing function and tend toward easier and speedier operation of the ambulance asia whole. Each carrier I2 has a pair of parallel channel side members 44 which pro- 'vide convenient guides for the legs 45 on the stretchers in sliding the stretchers to and fro in loading andunloading. These channels 44 are of great advantage because once the front pair of legs 45 on the stretcher have been entered in the channels' the stretcher is guided from that point on as the legs slide along the channels and it, therefores requires only one operator to complete the loading of the stretcher, nally enteringthe rear pair of legs 45 in the channels in the manner indicated inf Fig. 1. If desired, I may provide means'on the rear ends of these channels to engage atleast one rear leg 45 on each stretcher to lock the stretcher against drifting back and forth lengthwise of the channels, due to suddenslowdown or stopping or sudden pick-up in speed of the ambulance. The open form of the legs 45 makes the provision of such means to fit these openings a simple matter, and the attendant can easily lock and unlock the stretcher from behind the ambulance, especially while the carrier is extended in the loading position.. Sidesway of the carriers I2 is reduced to a minimum by virtue of the fact that the arms I4 and I5 are of channelshaped section and are therefore fairly stiff. These arms are furthermore cross-braced, as indi'- cated at 46 in Fig. 3, just below the the pivots 41 connecting the upper ends of the arms I4 and I5 with the top I 3. The braces, therefore, do not reduce head room to any objectionable extent,

there being ample clearance left between each carrier I2 and the braces 46 for a loaded stretcher, as shown in Fig. 3. Any remaining :tendency toward sidesway can be eliminated by the provision of hook-shaped lugs 48 pivoted as at 49 on brackets 50 on the sides of the ambulance and having spring means 5| normally urging the same toward operative engagement with the front ends of the outer channel side members 44r of the carriers I2. The one carrieris shown held in that way in Fig. 2, and the other carrier is shown in extended position away from the lug 48,and it will be vnoted that the lug 48 is positively limited in its spring pressed movement toward the carrier so that it stands in the position shown, ready for cooperation with the front end of the channel side member 44 of the carrier when the carrier is moved forwardly to its in position. The lugs 48 being spring pressed are yieldable forwardly upon engagement with the front end ofthe carrier Y the'front end of the carriers when the latter are to bemoved upwardly to folded out-of-the-way position. There is an advantage in having the lugs 48 automatically connect on and disconnect from the carriers, because inthe loading and unloading of stretchers ythe attendants do not have to bother with these lugs and the operation of the f ambulance as a whole is accordingly much more efficient. v

The seats indicated at 52 behind the forwardly tiltable front seats 53 in the drivers compartment are intended for two attendants. These attendants will usually enter and leave the lambulance by tilting forward the seat next to the drivers seat. These seats 52 are foldable upwardly to afford extra free space when desired. The full length seats 23 previously mentioned are .also foldable upwardly to out-of-the-way positions, as shown in Fig. 2. In Fig. 3 one of these seats is shown folded upwardly and the other is shown Vin unfolded position for use. The seat bottoms 23 are preferably spring tensioned to hold them yieldingly in folded up position. The seat backs 54 are hinged at their bottom edges, as indicated at 55, to swing outwardly from the side walls of the ambulance to afford access to full length storage compartments 55 in the side walls. 'I'he seat bottoms 23, therefore, serve the additional purpose of holding the seat backs against accidental outward swinging movement. Another vstorage compartment 51 is provided under the floor I0 at the rearY of the ambulance,v and access to this points.

compartment is afforded through raisable doors back step 59 which is more or lesscovered and protected by the backdoors 22 when closed provides a convenient entry step, the tread portion of which is level with the top of thev rear bumper 60. Handles 6I are provided on the opposite sides of the body at the rear to be grasped in entering the ambulance, and it will be observed that the latches. lll previously mentioned are incorporated in these handles, the latches `being spring pressed upwardly for'cooperation with either of the locking plates 20 and 2| but being movable downwardly to retracted position Iduct, projecting forwardly over the top of the 4drivers cab 54, having an inlet grill 5in the front end thereof for fresh air intake in summer. The draft through this duct can be cut oif .by a valve 6B controlled from the drivers seat by a lever 67 in the top of the cab 64, 68 being a keeper plate on which the lever 61 can be locked releasably in adjusted position. rihe duct 63 communicates with the vstretcher space in the ambulance body through openings 69 in the top I3, only a few of which are shown in Fig. 1, these openings being located along the top at various The duct 63 extends the full length of the body, and these openings69 assure good ventilation from end to end of the stretcher space. In cold weather an opening l0, o'therwise closed by the valve 55, can be uncovered by placing the valve in the position shown, whereby to set up circulation of air upwardly through the openings -69 and out through the opening lll, such circulation being induced by the rush of air past the opening 'Ill over the duct 63* in the forward travel of the ambulance. In cold weather a cowl ventilator 'Il of the well known Atype can be opened toV admit fresh air, and this air can be circulated through or past the usual hot water or other type heater in the drivers compartment, like that indicated at l2, and circulated rearwardly through the stretcher space.

It is believed the foregoing description conveys a good understanding of the objects and advantages of my invention. The appended claims have been ydrawn to cover all legitimate modifications and adaptations.

I claim:

1. In an ambulance comprising a body having a substantially horizontal top and floor, an adjustable stretcher support, comprising an elongated frame extending longitudinally with respect to .the body on which a stretcher may be placed, pairs of laterally spaced arms adjacent the oppositeends of said frame for suspension support thereof, all of said arms being of substantially the same length and disposed parallel to one another and pivoted at their'upper ends 0n the top of said body and at their lower ends `on the frame, whereby said frame is movable longitudinally with respect to the body from an operative rearward substantially horizontal position for loading and unloading of a stretcher thereon to an operative forward substantially horizontal position for transportation of a stretcher, said arms in such movement of the frame havingr pendulum motion and maintaining the frame substantially horizontal throughout the movement. said arms being of a length to support the frame in either operative position at approximately a mid-posivand adjacent the top, means for releasably securing said adjustable stretcher support in said inoperative position, and means for releasably securing 'said adjustable stretcher support in either of said operative positions. i

2. An ambulance as set forth in claim 1, wherein the last mentioned means comprises a latch movably mounted on the body and engageable selectively with either of two longitudinally spaced locking' plates on the stretcher support frame, whereby to hold said frame in either the rearward or forward operative position. l

3. An ambulance as set forth in claim l, including cross-brace means interconnecting the upper end portions of said arms below their upper pivots to minimize sidesway of the stretcher support frame and stretcher thereon during transportation, said brace means being spaced vertically from said frame sufficiently to admit a loaded stretcher therebelow on the frame.

' 4. An ambulance as set forth in claim 1, including means on the body having detachable engagement with the stretcher support frame to prevent sidesway of the stretcher support during transportation.

5. An ambulance as set forth in claim 1, including means on the body having detachable engagement with the stretcher support frame to prevent sidesway of the stretcher support during transportation, said means being disposed forwardly in relation to said frame for engagement with the front end portion thereof in the forward position of the stretcher support, said frame being movable freely rearwardly away from said means.

6. An 'ambulance as set forth in claim Vl, including spring means connected soas tov be'loaded in the rearward movement `of the stretcher support relative to the body, whereby said stretcher support is urged forwardly from its rearward position upon release, partly' by action of said spring means and partly by gravity due to the rearward inclination of said suspension arms in the rearward position of the stretcher support.

'7. In an ambulance comprising a body having a substantially horizontal floor and a top portion providing a recess therein, an Aadjustable stretcher support comprising an elongated frame extending longitudinally with respect to the body and recess on which a stretcher may be placed,

pairs of laterally spaced arms in substantially parallel relation to one another adjacent the opposite ends of said frame for suspension support thereof, all of said arms `being of substantially the same length and pivoted at their upper ends on the top of said body in the rearward major portion of the area of said recess and at their lower ends on the frame in the forward major portion of the area thereof, whereby said frame is movable longitudinally with respect to the body from an operative rearward substantially horizontal position for loading and unloading of a stretcher thereon in which the rear portion of the frame is easily accessible from behind the ambulance to an operative forward substantially horizontal position for transportation of a stretcher, said arms in such movement of the frame having pendulum motion and maintaining said frame substantially horizontal throughout the movement, means for releasably securing said adjustable stretcher support in either of said operative positions, the

stretchersupport being foldable forwardly and upwardly into the recess' f or storage, and means for releasably securing the stretcher support in its folded position.

8; An ambulance as set forth in claim 7, including counterbalancing means connected to said stretcher support to resist dropping thereof from the recess upon release.

9( An ambulance as set forth in claim 7, Yincluding counterbalancing spring means connected to -said stretcher support to resist dropping thereof from the recess upon release, said spring means being loaded in the downward movement of the stretcher support toward operative position and beingfurther loaded in the movement of the stretcher support from forward to rearward position, whereby said spring means is arranged to assist the forward movement of the stretcher support from rearward position-upon release.

l0. In an ambulance, a body having an adjustable stretcher support, comprising -an elongated frame disposed longitudinally with respect to the body upon which a stretcher may be placed, pendulum type suspension arms disposed in substantially parallel relation to one another in longitudinally spaced relation to the body and frame having their upper ends pivoted in the rearward approximately halfportion of the body and having their' lower ends pivoted to the forward approximately half portion of the frame, whereby the-rearward portion of said stretcher support may be extended out of the rear end of the body 'for loading and unloading of a Stretcher in the .stretcher support to a raised out-of-the-way inoperative position, means for releasably securing said stretcher support in said raised inoperative position, said arms being of substantially equal .length and together providing for substantially parallel movement of the frame so as to maintain the frame substantially horizontal throughout its movement fro-m one operative position to the other, and means for releasably. securing said stretcher support in either of said operative positions. i A

l1. In a vehicle of the rea-r 'delivery type comprising a body having a substantially horizontal top and floor, anY adjustable carrier rack comprising an elongated frame extending longitudinally with respect tothe body on which a load may be placed, pairs of laterally spaced arms adjacent the opposite ends of said frame for suspension support thereof, all of said arms being of substantially the same length and disposed parallel to one another and pivoted at their upper ends on the top of said body and at their lower ends on the frame, whereby said frame is movable longitudinally with respect to the body from an operative rearward substantially horizontal position for loading and unloading to an operative forward substantially horizontal position for transportation of the load, said arms in such movement of the frame having pendulum motion and maintaining the frame substantially horizontal throughout the movement, said arms being of a length to support the frame in eitheroperative position atapproximately a mid-position between the top and floor so that the floor is usable for other storage purposes, said frame being-'adapted'to'be swung upwardly for'storage in an inoperative positionparallel to and-adjacent the ton-means for releasably *securingr said iadjustable carrier rack in said inoperativeposition,l and meanstv for releasably securing 4said adjustable carrierrac'k in' either of said operative positions.- Y

l2. A vehicle as set forth in claim 11, wherein the last mentioned means comprises a latch movably mounted on the body and engageable selectively with either of two longitudinally spaced locking plates on the carrier frame, whereby to hold said frame in either the rearward or forward operative position.

13. A vehicle as set forth in claim 11, including cross-brace means interconnecting the upper end portions of said arms below their upper pivots to minimize sidesway of the carrier frame and load thereon during transportation, said brace means being spaced vertically from said frame sufliciently to admit a load therebelow on the frame.

14. A vehicle as set forth in claim 11, including means on the body having detachable engagement with the carrierframe to prevent sidesway of the carrier rack during transportation.

15. A vehicle as set forth in claim 11, including means on the body having detachable engagement with the carrier frame to prevent sidesway of the carrier rack during transportation, said means being disposed forwardly in relation to said frame for engagement with the front end portion thereof in the forward position of the carrier rack, said frame being movable freely rearwardly away from said means. Y

16. A vehicle as set forth in claim 11, including spring means connected so as to be loaded in the rearward movement of the carrier rack relative to the body, whereby said carrier rack is urged forwardly from its rearward position upon release, partly by action of said spring means and partly by gravity due to the rearward inclination of said suspension arms in the rearward position of the carrier rack.

17. In a vehicle of the rear delivery type, a body having an adjustable carrier rack comprising an elongated frame disposed longitudinally with respect to the body upon which a load may be placed, pendulum type suspension arms disposed in substantially parallel relation to one another in longitudinally spaced relation to the body and frame having their upper ends pivoted in the rearward approximately half portion of the body and having their lower ends pivoted to the forward approximately half portion of the frame, whereby the rearward portion of said carrier rack may be extended out of the rear end of the body for loading and unloading in the rearward position of the rack, and whereby said arms are swingable forwardly and upwardly toward the top portion of the body in the movement of said rack to -a raised out-of-the-way position, said arms being of substantially equal length and togetherproviding for substantially parallel movement of the frame so as to maintain the frame substantially horizontal throughout its movement, `and means for releasably securing said rack in adjusted or folded positions.

18. In a vehicle of the rear delivery type, a body having a substantially horizontal floor and a top portion providing a recess therein, an adjustable carrier rack comprising an elongated frame extending horizontally with respect to the body and recess on which a load may be placed, pairs of laterally spaced arms in substantially parallel relation to one another adjacent the 0D- posite endsjof said frame forsuspensionV support n thereof, allof said arms being of substantially thesame'length and pivoted attheir upper ends on the-top of said body in the rearward approximately half of the recess and at their lower ends onf the iframe in the forward approximately half thereof, Wh'erebysaid frame is movable longitudinally with respect to the body from an operative rearward, substantially horizontal position for loading and unloading, in which the rear portion of said carrier is easily accessible from behind the vehicle, to an operative forward, substantially horizontal position for transportation of the load, said arms in such movement of the carrier having pendulum motion and maintaining said carrier substantially horizontal throughout the movement, means for releasably securing said carrier in either of said operative positions, said carrier being foldable forwardly and upwardly into the recess for storage, and means for releasably securing said carrier in its folded position.

19. A vehicle as set forth in claim 18, including a oounterbalancing means connected to said carrier to resist dropping thereof from the recess upon release.

Y 20. A vehicle as set forth in claim 18, including a counterbalancing spring means connected to said carrier to resist dropping thereof from the recess upon release, said spring means being loaded in the downward movement of the carrier toward operative position and being further loaded in the movement of the carrier from the forward operative position to the rearward operative position, whereby said spring means is adapted to assist the forwad movement of said carrier from rearward operative position upon release.

21. In a vehicle of the rear delivery type, a body having an adjustable carrier rack comprising an elongated frame disposed longitudinally with respect to the body upon which a load may be placed, pendulum type suspension arms disposed in substantially parallel relation to one another in longitudinally spaced relation to the body and frame having their upper ends pivotedv in the rearward approximately half portion of the body and having their lower ends pivoted to the forward approximately half portion of the frame, whereby the rearward portion of said carrier extends out of 4the rear end of the body to facilitate loading and unloading in the rearward operative position of said carrier, said carrier being movable from said rearward operative position to a forward operative position inside the body of said vehicle for transportation, and means for releasably securing said carrier in either of said operative positions.

22. In a vehicle of the rear delivery type, a body having an adjustable carrier rack comprising an elongated frame disposed longitudinally with respect to the body upon which a load may be placed, pendulum type suspension arms disposed in substantially parallel relation to one another in longitudinally spaced relation to the body and frame having their upper ends pivoted in the rearward approximately half portion of the body and having their lower ends pivoted'to the forward approximately half portion of the frame, whereby the rearward portion of said carrier extends out of the rear end of the body to facilitate loading and unloading in the rearward operative position of said carrier, said carrier being -movable from said rearward operative position to forward operative position in substantially the 6 esame same elevation inside the'. bodyof lsaid vehicle for transportation, said arms being swingable for-V Wardl-y` and upwardly toward theV top portion of the"v body Lin `the movement of said carrier to a raised inoperative position, means for releasably securing said carrier in said raised inoperative position,l said armsvbeing of substantially equal length and together providing for substantially parallelv movement of said carrier so'as to maintain said carrier substantially horizontal throughoutv its movement from one4 operative position to the other; and means for releasably securing said carrier in either of said operative positions.k t

EARL L. SCHOFIELDfI 

